Bus transit ITS system deployment in the U.S. : trends and lessons learned.

The transit agencies in the U.S. have been deploying technologies to improve the bus operations and customer services since early 1980s. An accelerated deployment was evident in the early 1990s and spanned from large, urban agencies to smaller, rural, and demand responsive operations. The advent of computer and communications technologies and the increased awareness of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) were the main driving forces behind the trend. Among the bus transit technologies, electronic fare box, Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL), Mobile Data Terminal (MDT), Automatic Passenger Counter (APC), enunciator and electronic display, Transit Signal Priority (TSP), and wireless data download were most frequently considered by the transit agencies. The integration of these technologies, however, presents a challenge that goes beyond the technical realm. This paper presents the findings of a study intended to identify the underlying challenges toward the integration of ITS technologies in the bus transit environment. The information presented in this paper is based on a survey of eight transit agencies that deployed AVL and other ITS technologies in the last decade as well as relevant observations from the evolving transit ITS industry. Lessons learned are provided to assist transit agencies in making future ITS deployment decisions.